


The Shadows of Summer

by replicanon



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Canon Universe, Character Study, Childhood Memories, Destiny Islands (Kingdom Hearts), Fluff and Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Pre-Kingdom Hearts I, Reflection, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/replicanon/pseuds/replicanon
Summary: With one friend missing and the other asleep, Riku wanders the paths of memory and makes a promise to the ghosts he finds there.
Relationships: Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 10





	The Shadows of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> I like imagining the daily lives of characters.
> 
> Typo corrections appreciated. Hope you enjoy.

"It's too hot!" Sora whines, rolling onto his back.

Riku looks up from his drawing to comment, pauses when he sees Kairi lying face down on the floor. She's sweating so much he thinks she might melt into a puddle, and while Sora's definitely louder, Riku can tell she's struggling more. 

_Well of course she is_ , he thinks, chewing on the end of his pencil. _She wasn't born here after all._

He looks around the room. Sora's curtains are only half-drawn, letting a little light and air in while the worst is kept out. The little boat that hangs from his ceiling sways just slightly, papers tacked to the wall rustling, toys and books and blocks steady on their shelves. Spearfishing supplies and planks of wood for a project sit in the corner, though even Riku can't imagine working in this heat. There's no clothes on the floor except a pair of socks, though he knows that's because Sora's mom came through and cleaned up before they arrived. The room would smell funny if she hadn't, hot air working horrors with day-old clothes left out on the carpet.

But there's none of that, and everything feels like a normal summer, burning and balmy but bearable—for him.

He sighs and stands. "I'll get us drinks," he says. He's hot too, but he's the oldest so he figures he has to do it. They might be at Sora's house, but he's still the most responsible of the three of them. The sweat on his neck can't stop him, nor can the deafening drone of insects outside. _Outside_. He shoots the bedroom window a bitter glance at the thought. There's wind coming through it, but it's hot; a sticky humid breeze that cools nothing.

"No, no, I can do it!" Sora exclaims, stumbling in his effort to get up before Riku can leave. Neither of them get to do anything though, because Sora's mom enters the room with a tray of drinks and food in hand at just that moment. Sunlight catches on the fruit, all cut and ripe and ready, and on the glasses beaded with condensation. It looks good and both of them say so. Sora's mom just smiles and ruffles Sora's hair, and Riku only gets a second to feel smug before she ruffles his too, then kneels down to help Kairi sit up. She puts a drink in her hand and rubs her back.

"You come get me if you're feeling sick, okay?" She says, then turns to look at Riku and Sora as she stands. "And you two be good. Make sure you do your summer homework now, or else the last week of vacation is going to be all work and tears and nothing else!" They sing song their reply and she rolls her eyes and laughs, before leaving with a gentle click of the door.

They dig in the moment she's gone, Riku's hands and face sticky with fruit and sweetly sour juice. Kairi's still getting used to the taste of things here, but she doesn't pucker her face once as she gobbles it all up. Meanwhile, Sora's apparently still getting used to eating and drinking in general, because he spills half his drink down his shirt and whines loudly. Riku hates it when he's sad, so he shares some of his with Sora to calm him down.

"It's so Kairi doesn't have to give you hers," he says, then ignores her when she asks why Sora can't just go downstairs and ask for more instead.

"It's too hot," Sora answers for him, slurping loudly.

Riku's glad he misses Kairi's, "He wasn't just trying to cheer you up?" She's right, of course, but his friends don't need to know he's soft on them. 

When their eating slows it's back to work, though it's nothing school assigned them. Riku's proud to say he's already done half of his summer assignments, but there's bigger things to worry about now. Plans for their raft are splayed across the carpet—sketches of their ideal ship, designs and concepts made in pencil and crayon. They've been working on this ever since it was agreed that Kairi would be their friend, and of course she would be. She's fun and bright and she laughs a lot, and she's from the outside world!

 _More proof it exists_ , Riku thinks. Memories of a man drift through his mind, but right now 'outside world' belongs to Kairi more than 'him', although 'adventure', 'understanding', and 'strength to protect' are all more muddled. They belong to many people, to all the important things Riku wants to keep safe and see flourish in the light of all worlds—not just this one.

"It's gonna be so cool," Sora sighs dreamily, interrupting Riku's thoughts. He's scribbling with his crayon, dozing as he works. His raft doesn't look very realistic to Riku, but he's just impressed Sora has enough artistic ability to render something recognizable as a raft at all. 

"Hey Kairi?" Riku asks, staring at the drawing.

"Yeah?" She says, still cradling her cup.

"You don't remember where you came from, right?"

"No. I don't know if I came from across the seas or the skies or..."

"Well it could only be from across the seas, right?" Sora asks, crossing his arms and setting his chin on them. "But if you did come from the skies that would be amazing! Except we can't build a flying raft, so I guess we have to hope you came by the seas if we wanna see your world!" He kicks his legs up and down, eyes flitting to the window. "Do you think the weather will be cooler on other worlds?"

"We'll never know unless we build a good raft," Riku says, pointing his pencil at Sora's paper, "so ramble all you want, but make sure you're working too."

"Should we start planning rations?" Kairi asks, her attention caught between a huffing Sora and the remains of their fruit platter.

"I think that's a good idea. You wanna make the list?"

Kairi hums. "I dunno. I still don't really know what things you have here or what'll be easy for us to find. We're not supposed to tell our parents we're going, right? Otherwise they'll make a fuss."

"Yeah," Sora says. "Mom'll make me do chores and stuff and then I won't have time to work on the raft or anything."

"Would you actually be working, or just napping like you always do?" Kairi teases. She squeals when Sora throws a crayon, the two of them giggling wildly despite the heat.

"C'mon, be quiet or your mom will come upstairs again Sora," Riku complains, giving them both a solid poke. When they're calm he continues, "If you tell them it's just to play pretend they'll probably tell you were to find stuff. I can definitely get my dad to take us to the little island later. I can show you all the food we have there and where to find fresh water." He grins, proud. "I was able to guess where to get it when I was really little, but Sora couldn't. He took a drink straight from the sea and got sick for a day!"

"Aw Riku, why'd you tell her that? I know better now!"

But it's too late. Kairi's eyes sparkle gleefully, knowing she's got one up on him. The mayor's already told her not to drink seawater, so now Sora's the only one of the three of them to make that mistake. The two break out into squabbles and laughter, and once again Riku is the only one working. That's okay. He's sure he can come up with a good raft for the three of them—one that can take them across that great, blue sea, to worlds so far beyond anything they can imagine. His stomach knots as much as his heart sings.

_Why were we born here? Why did Kairi end up here? What did I learn here, and what can I learn elsewhere? I want to know. I want to become strong for my friends. I want to become strong with my friends._

He'll miss his other friends, maybe even his parents, but he can only imagine this journey with Sora and Kairi. His best friend, and the shooting star girl from another world. Both of them shine bright throughout his daily island life.

Maybe one day he'll miss them too—the Islands. Right now they're boring though, with so few places left to explore he can reach. He has to go, he knows it. He has to go to another world, somewhere far from here where no one can control or stop him, and all he wants to know is within his reach.

The paper in front of him flutters in the breeze. The sun catches and lights up the page, the lines of his raft laid out clearly. He nods.

_One day we're leaving. We're going to see the world._

He gets back to work, his plans all that remain in his mind save Sora, Kairi, and the eternal buzz of summer.

* * *

In another time a boy stands in an empty bedroom. The floor is clean, room tidy, though he's sure it was a mess when Sora left. Still all the things he remembers are here; the toys, the books, the blocks, the giant wooden arm he and Sora built with their parents' help. It'd been woodworking practice for the raft—not that their parents had known—though along the way it had become something special in its own right. Fishing spears lean against the wall, doodles taped here and there.

His fingers trace the desk, linger on Sora's silly drawings and all the trinkets he's received over the years. There's ones from Kairi, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, and all the other friends, family, and folk he's met. He knows there's things from him here too, scattered memories bitter and sweet.

The ship on the ceiling catches his eye as he turns, swaying in a breeze from the window. It's hot outside, balmy, curtains dancing just slightly. A lump sticks in his throat as he watches the boat, and it's so easy to imagine; two tiny figures, a girl and a boy, sailing far away on a raft made of dreams.

He can't bring himself to look out the window and see the empty ocean, blue-green sparkling and barren in the light. He goes to the door instead, knows he must follow those figures soon. He wishes he could warn the children who had been here what would happen to their raft, their dreams, their friendship.

He can't though, so all he can do is chase their future.

He leaves. The doors shuts behind him with such painful finality.

* * *

"Do you think the paths are like this in other worlds?" Kairi asks, eyes on the ground. She keeps in step despite her distraction, all three of them heading down the dirt road to the shore.

"Probably?" Sora guesses. He stops frequently to adjust the uneven straps of his backpack, but never falls behind, always bouncing back. He's got plenty of energy despite the heat of the day, sun already blazing despite it still being early morning. "Dirt, sand, wood, stone, what else would paths be made of?" He stops again, head in the clouds. "I suppose we use the trees as pathways too. I wonder if there's a world where that's normal?"

"We'll only know once we get out there," Riku says. "Until we see it for ourselves there's no way we can say for sure, but when we do..." He hums, smiles. "It'll be amazing, I'm sure."

"Didn't know you were so into paths, Riku," Kairi teases. "Should we give you guys some alone time?" She laughs, then squeaks when he smacks her leg with his wooden sword. He takes aim again, but she's sprinting, squealing with delight as he chases her, sweat already beading on her brow. The mood catches and Sora joins her, Riku harrying them all the way to and across the beach. They run and run and run, kicking up sand and splashing through the tide all the way to the pier, sun golden on the horizon.

Laughter fills the morning air and peaks when all three of them topple into the sea, as happy as they'll ever be.

* * *

In another time a boy stands on the path at the crest of a hill and remembers three friends running. He remembers the sand of the shore and the song of the tide, and their island bathed in sweet morning sunlight. He remembers how perfectly it shone, sparkling on the dawn-dyed waves. He remembers laughter and all the things he thought would be.

His chest aches. He longs so desperately for the future those children see.

* * *

"Oof!" Sora grunts, rubbing his backside. "It's not funny Kairi!"

"Yes it is," she laughs. "You look so silly!"

The two of them flap about as Riku frowns, tilts his head. There's a hole in the wall of the shack. It wasn't made to be perfectly secure, but this is a step beyond that. _If there's a storm it'll leak real bad. It could ruin the whole building if we're not careful._

That's a problem. The shack's one of the best places to gather during bad weather, especially if it comes on suddenly. There isn't always time to row back to the mainland, after all. It's a little boring to play in, but it's good to store items they don't want to take back and forth, and great to make plans and talk in when it's hot out. It's also one of the only shelters they can share with the friends who come out here to play with them, the Secret Place off limits to anyone outside their trio.

"Alright!" He exclaims and turns back to Sora and Kairi. Sora is sulking, Kairi giggling. He frowns. "Quit pouting, Sora. You know you shouldn't have tried climbing that vine."

"Aw, Riku," Sora whines. "But it would've been so cool if I'd been able to swing from it."

Riku frowns. "Well, yeah, but you didn't so it doesn't matter." He sticks his chin in the air. "I could've though."

"Prove it!" Sora exclaims.

"How? You broke the vine! There aren't anymore in here either!"

"Ha! I beat you couldn't do it!"

"I could too, Sora! I'd know what I was doing, but you—"

"I bet—"

"I can prove—"

"No you—"

They go on and on until Kairi's laughter interrupts them. She's on the ground, cackling, and it makes Riku feel silly enough to stop. Sora does too, sighing and hanging his head, and then the whole thing just seems so ridiculous that all three of them are giggling about it.

"Okay, that was dumb," Riku admits, "although if you wanna know how to swing on a vine properly, Sora, I can show you later."

"Me too?" Kairi asks, pointing at herself.

"Yeah, if you wanna."

"I wanna!"

"Then let's go!" Sora cheers.

But Riku shakes his head, cutting his celebrations short. "We need to fix this hole first. There's some building stuff in here, but we're gonna need more logs. No driftwood, unless you wanna do a bonfire later." They aren't supposed to, but he and Wakka know how to set one up, and with the rest of their friends they can probably put it together and have a small party before they have to go home.

"Aw, I don't wanna do work," Sora sighs. "I wanted to play today."

"Lazy bum," Kairi teases.

"C'mon Sora, giving up already?" Riku crosses his arms and puffs out his chest. Like this, he can take full advantage of what little height he has over them. Maybe in the future he'll be taller, but for now the difference is minuscule. "Besides, if the shack gets wrecked that's one less place to hang out and store our stuff, and this is a good chance to practice our building skills. We're gonna need those, if we ever wanna make that raft. So," he turns to face the door, "let's go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can show you how to swing on a vine."

"Okay," Sora says and bounces back up, excited once more. Kairi's clapping her hands, eager and ready, already having fetched the satchel carrying their lunch.

"Alright, let's go!" Riku says, and leads the way.

It's an all day adventure. They hike through the trees to find wood that's fallen but not yet rotten. They don't have a real axe to cut wood, though in a few years Riku's dad will probably give him one. _It'll be easier for him to do that than have to come out and fix things for us, anyway._

For now though, they find and fetch. There's plenty of good wood to be had, and all three of them heft their share as they clamber over rock and under trees, laughing and talking as they make their way back to the shack. Birds cry overhead and the ocean rushes to meet them as they run along the shore, Kairi stopping to drag driftwood out of its clutches.

They spend most of the afternoon mending the shack, finishing just as the others arrive. They're all eager to play, so Riku shows them the way to his favorite swinging spot, thick vines dangling over a small drop. They hang off them, swaying and squealing before they decide to head back to the beach. Riku looks toward their special cave, but knows they can't go while Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka are here. 

So instead they play on the beach, racing and fighting on the sand until sundown. As the sun sinks they build and light their bonfire, driftwood burning in pretty shades. Riku hears Sora and Kairi whispering wishes to the flames, though what they are he doesn't hear. He makes his own.

 _I hope we get to set sail someday—a_ _ll three of us off to unknown worlds. I hope it's as much fun as today was. I hope it's better._

The flames crackle and it feels like a promise.

* * *

In another time a boy passes through a disused seaside shack. There's a hole in the wall and—without banter or asides—he repairs it. He wanders off with an axe to find the wood himself, passing through curtains of overgrown vines strung between the trees. He leaps a small drop, looks up at the overhanging leaves and the dappled light shining through them, feels the humidity as sweat drips down his spine. Birds cry as he makes his way back to the shore and, on a whim, he drags a few planks of driftwood beyond the tide's grasping hands.

He mends the hole and remembers all the plans that were made here, then heads back out to stand on the shore. He can see the cave that hides their Secret Place, but he won't go there. It's not a place he wants to visit alone. It reminds him of a door, of darkness spilling through, of all the drawings that aren't his etched on the walls. He doesn't want to go and hear only one boy's footsteps echo against the stone.

So he builds a bonfire instead and lights it, thinks on promises and destiny.

The sky turns pink as he stands alone on the empty beach.

* * *

"I think it's good," Sora says, lounging, sheet of paper in hand. He's being lazy again, but Riku doesn't mind. There's a cool breeze blowing over the sea to islet, and it feels right after the heat of the day to just let it wash over them, take a break. Besides, they're going to be busy tomorrow. They've got a lot of work to do, and Riku's aim is to get it done as soon as possible.

"Can I have another look?" Kairi asks. She plucks the raft drafts from Sora's hands when he holds them out, and though Riku doesn't look he can tell she's biting her lip, brows furrowed. Her legs kick back and forth, beating against the drooping paopu's trunk. 

Riku does look then, peering over his shoulder to the side. There's something mystical about the two of them painted in sunset hues, but he doesn't let himself get attached to the image. They're going, after all, and he doesn't know when or if they'll come back. He just knows they have to leave this place, have to set off to see all the other worlds out there and figure out what they're meant to do with the lives they've been given.

He has to know what they're destined for, and why they ended up here.

He has to find the strength to protect them.

"It does look good," Kairi says, wind rustling her hair and the papers both. "I've been working on a list of rations we'll need. It's not very big, but we've already got fishing gear and buckets to collect water in if it rains. I think we should try to get to another island or world quick though."

Her words jumble a little toward the end, nervous. Riku looks up at her, takes in the small scab on her lip that means she's been biting her lip too often. "We'll be fine, Kairi," he says. "You made it here, right? So we'll definitely be able to make it to the next island, and the next. I'm sure we'll be able to make it to the next world with what we have and pick up along the way. Besides, I know survival techniques. We'll be fine."

"Hm," is all she says, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Okay. I suppose I should just think about how great it'll be, seeing other worlds."

"Yeah," Sora's voice is dreamy. Then he sits up, blue eyes catching the light of the sinking sun, and pumps a fist in the air. "We're gonna do it! The three of us together are gonna sail to all the worlds! It'll be amazing!"

Kairi giggles and Riku smiles, then turns to look back over the horizon. There his future awaits, a mystery just out of sight. He doesn't know what it is yet, but it has to be more than this. Whatever the Islands have meant to him, what lies out there is even better—the promise of something new, fresh, exciting, meaningful. He'll give up his home forever if it means he can finally get what he needs.

 _The power to protect._ He hears their voices behind him. _The power to protect them both._

* * *

In another time a boy crosses a wooden bridge to stand upon an islet. A paopu tree droops, its fruit untouched. Maybe if he'd shared one with his friends instead of drafts for a raft he wouldn't be here alone.

But he is now, and he can't change that fact.

He walks out to the islet's edge and takes in the horizon. The sky is dressed in warm hues; orange and red and pink and purple, tinged navy at its edges and gold in its center. The sea shines, the waves whisper, the trees dance, the wind kisses.

It's beautiful. He still couldn't stand to see only this beauty, but this unchanging land—part of something much bigger—has a special place in his heart. He should come back here more often. It needs protecting as much as the rest of the worlds, after all.

So much needs protecting, he knows. He has to do more. He has to be more.

He stands on the edge of the islet alone and wonders what it means to be strong. Maybe the next time he comes here he'll know, and more than ghosts will keep him company.

The sun sinks and the boy turns to go, touching the drooping paopu tree just once before he leaves.

_I promise I'll find you._

_I promise you'll wake._

_I'll bring you both back._

_I promise._


End file.
